West Yorkshire League: Resilient Pool deny White Rose top spot

Leaders Carlton Athletic plus defending champions Beeston St Anthony’s and title-chasing duo Field and Leeds City were all not in action at the weekend owing to the league’s representative side’s amazing adventure in Europe.

Having won the FA Inter League competition last year, the West Yorkshire League team are now competing in the European version of the competition with their continental adventure beginning in Romania.

The side got their campaign up and running with a 2-1 victory against the hosts and next face clashes against sides from Serbia and Russia.

Back in Yorkshire, newly-promoted Sherburn could subsequently have gone top of the Premier on Saturday with victory at eighth-placed Pool.

But White Rose had to settle for a share of the spoils. James Earley was on target for the visitors who now sit second and just two points behind Carlton but having played three games more.

Beeston who like Carlton have played just seven games –are a further point back in third with Field fourth on the same number of points but having played one game more.

Leeds City, who have also played seven games, are another point back in fifth,

Knaresborough Town are level on points with City sixth buy having played two games more after Saturday’s 2-1 triumph at home to Robin 11th-placed Hood Athletic. Joe Ritson’s strike proved in vain for the visitors. Headingley are another two points back in sixth but having played 11 games, the latest of which was Saturday’s 2-0 win at home to tenth-placed Shelley. Merlyn Andrews and Ashley Austin were the home side’s goal-getters.

Horbury Town dropped to ninth after losing 4-2 at fifth-bottom Ilkley Town. And in an early season basement battle, Brighouse Old Boys enjoyed a 4-1 success at Wetherby Athletic who are bottom with two points from their first nine games.

Wetherby are four points adrift of second-bottom Oxenhope Recreation who were chinned 4-3 by visiting Hunslet Club who are now another two points clear in 14th. Efforts from Jonathan Cuwes, Mark McGee and Joe Jalil failed to prevent Oxenhope’s seventh defeat of the campaign. League Cup action took centre stage elsewhere with Old Centralians romping to a 10-0 cruise at Great Preston, led by a hat-trick from Jordan Tate. Two of Division One’s top four clashed at Wyke Wanderers who beat Boroughbridge 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

A Mark Burniston double and Michael Snowdon effort took ’Bridge to penalties with Matt Conway, Joe Entwhistle and Sibusiso Moyothe regular time scorers for Wyke who had Cameron Day sent off.

Division One leaders Hall Green United eased through 5-0 at home to Rothwell while fifth-placed Leeds Modernians beat visiting Huddersfield Amateur 3-0. In other highlights, Rawdon Old Boys squeezed through 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Kippax while Featherstone Colliery beat visiting Howden Clough 2-0 after extra-time.